Takin' up a collection (Exodus 25:1-9)

1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
2 “Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering.
3 And this is the offering which you shall take from them: gold, silver, and bronze;
4 blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats’ hair;
5 ram skins dyed red, badger skins, and acacia wood;
6 oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense;
7 onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate.
8 And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.
9 According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.

Moses is still up on the mountain - the trip that began in Exodus 24:12 (see notes), and God is giving him instructions about building a place of worship for the Hebrews. The people are living in tents; so what kind of dwelling place will God have? A tent, of course. Now, think back on Exodus 12:35 (see notes), "Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing." The Egyptians gave their valuables to the Hebrews with no expectations of receiving them back; at the time, they were just happy to see the Hebrews go. God is telling Moses to collect those valuables for the building of His place of worship. You will notice in verse 2, "...bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering." It was to be given "willingly."

Incidentally, to say that the tabernacle was the dwelling place of God is not just a figure of speech. Notice verse 8, "And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them." As a matter of fact, at completion we will see God move into the tabernacle in the form of the Shekinah Glory (see article).

The Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:10-22)

10 ¶ “And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height.
11 And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and shall make on it a molding of gold all around.
12 You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four corners; two rings shall be on one side, and two rings on the other side.
13 And you shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.
14 You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, that the ark may be carried by them.
15 The poles shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it.
16 And you shall put into the ark the Testimony which I will give you.
17 ¶ “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width.
18 And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat.
19 Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat.
20 And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat.
21 You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you.
22 And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.

The first vessel specified to be placed into the new house of God is to be the Ark of the Covenant. The Hebrew word here for "ark" is altogether different from the word used for Noah's big ol' boat. The Hebrew word for Noah's "ark" is "tay-baw´" which is also used in Exodus 2:3,5 to describe the little basket that Moses was floating in when discovered by Pharaoh's daughter. The Hebrew word used here for the "Ark" of the Covenant is "aw-rone´." It means "box." So while the words are identical to us in English, they were not to the Hebrews. You'll notice from verse 16 that this box will contain the tablets that will be given to Moses with the Law inscribed upon them. You'll also notice how elaborately made it is. This 2.25 ft. by 2.25 ft. by 3.75 ft. box is the most sacred vessel in Israel's history. Notice that there was a specific way in which it was to be carried - poles that slipped through rings on the side. That will become significant later on in Israel's history when they engineer their own design for transporting it in II Samuel 6 (see notes), a flawed attempt that ends in death.

Picture courtesy of BiblePlaces.com

The Table of Showbread (Exodus 25:23-30)

23 ¶ “You shall also make a table of acacia wood; two cubits shall be its length, a cubit its width, and a cubit and a half its height.
24 And you shall overlay it with pure gold, and make a molding of gold all around.
25 You shall make for it a frame of a handbreadth all around, and you shall make a gold molding for the frame all around.
26 And you shall make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings on the four corners that are at its four legs.
27 The rings shall be close to the frame, as holders for the poles to bear the table.
28 And you shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be carried with them.
29 You shall make its dishes, its pans, its pitchers, and its bowls for pouring. You shall make them of pure gold.
30 And you shall set the showbread on the table before Me always.

This Table of Showbread was a gold-overlaid, four-legged table, also carried by poles slipped through rings on each side. It held the twelve loaves of showbread (Leviticus 24:1–9, see notes), which were displayed and replaced at the end of each week.

The Lampstand (Exodus 25:31-40)

31 ¶ “You shall also make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be of hammered work. Its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and flowers shall be of one piece.
32 And six branches shall come out of its sides: three branches of the lampstand out of one side, and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side.
33 Three bowls shall be made like almond blossoms on one branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower, and three bowls made like almond blossoms on the other branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower—and so for the six branches that come out of the lampstand.
34 On the lampstand itself four bowls shall be made like almond blossoms, each with its ornamental knob and flower.
35 And there shall be a knob under the first two branches of the same, a knob under the second two branches of the same, and a knob under the third two branches of the same, according to the six branches that extend from the lampstand.
36 Their knobs and their branches shall be of one piece; all of it shall be one hammered piece of pure gold.
37 You shall make seven lamps for it, and they shall arrange its lamps so that they give light in front of it.
38 And its wick-trimmers and their trays shall be of pure gold.
39 It shall be made of a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils.
40 And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.

Now this piece isn't overlaid with gold; it's made with nothing but gold. Again, I find it amusing that much, if not all, of this gold originally belonged to the Egyptians. Now we see why God told the Hebrews to take it with them. This lampstand (candlestick) has seven branches. Incidentally, the Chanukkah candlestick that you see around Christmas in the home of Jews is not this one. That's an extra-biblical, special-purpose candlestick that had it's origin after the completion of the Old Testament and has eight branches instead of seven. It was specifically designed for a purpose and was not intended to be a replacement for the lampstand of Exodus 25:31-40.

It should be noted, however, that the lampstand specified here with seven candles was designed for tabernacle/temple purposes. Observant Jews reserve this design for this purpose only. Candlesticks that appear in synagogues typically do not have seven candles.

The Tabernacle and the Tent (Exodus 26)

1 “Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine woven linen and blue, purple, and scarlet thread; with artistic designs of cherubim you shall weave them.
2 The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits. And every one of the curtains shall have the same measurements.
3 Five curtains shall be coupled to one another, and the other five curtains shall be coupled to one another.
4 And you shall make loops of blue yarn on the edge of the curtain on the selvedge of one set, and likewise you shall do on the outer edge of the other curtain of the second set.
5 Fifty loops you shall make in the one curtain, and fifty loops you shall make on the edge of the curtain that is on the end of the second set, that the loops may be clasped to one another.
6 And you shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains together with the clasps, so that it may be one tabernacle.
7 ¶ “You shall also make curtains of goats’ hair, to be a tent over the tabernacle. You shall make eleven curtains.
8 The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; and the eleven curtains shall all have the same measurements.
9 And you shall couple five curtains by themselves and six curtains by themselves, and you shall double over the sixth curtain at the forefront of the tent.
10 You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain of the second set.
11 And you shall make fifty bronze clasps, put the clasps into the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one.
12 The remnant that remains of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle.
13 And a cubit on one side and a cubit on the other side, of what remains of the length of the curtains of the tent, shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle, on this side and on that side, to cover it.
14 ¶ “You shall also make a covering of ram skins dyed red for the tent, and a covering of badger skins above that.
15 ¶ “And for the tabernacle you shall make the boards of acacia wood, standing upright.
16 Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the width of each board.
17 Two tenons shall be in each board for binding one to another. Thus you shall make for all the boards of the tabernacle.
18 And you shall make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards for the south side.
19 You shall make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards: two sockets under each of the boards for its two tenons.
20 And for the second side of the tabernacle, the north side, there shall be twenty boards
21 and their forty sockets of silver: two sockets under each of the boards.
22 For the far side of the tabernacle, westward, you shall make six boards.
23 And you shall also make two boards for the two back corners of the tabernacle.
24 They shall be coupled together at the bottom and they shall be coupled together at the top by one ring. Thus it shall be for both of them. They shall be for the two corners.
25 So there shall be eight boards with their sockets of silver—sixteen sockets—two sockets under each of the boards.
26 ¶ “And you shall make bars of acacia wood: five for the boards on one side of the tabernacle,
27 five bars for the boards on the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the far side westward.
28 The middle bar shall pass through the midst of the boards from end to end.
29 You shall overlay the boards with gold, make their rings of gold as holders for the bars, and overlay the bars with gold.
30 And you shall raise up the tabernacle according to its pattern which you were shown on the mountain.
31 ¶ “You shall make a veil woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen. It shall be woven with an artistic design of cherubim.
32 You shall hang it upon the four pillars of acacia wood overlaid with gold. Their hooks shall be gold, upon four sockets of silver.
33 And you shall hang the veil from the clasps. Then you shall bring the ark of the Testimony in there, behind the veil. The veil shall be a divider for you between the holy place and the Most Holy.
34 You shall put the mercy seat upon the ark of the Testimony in the Most Holy.
35 You shall set the table outside the veil, and the lampstand across from the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south; and you shall put the table on the north side.
36 ¶ “You shall make a screen for the door of the tabernacle, woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, made by a weaver.
37 And you shall make for the screen five pillars of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold; their hooks shall be gold, and you shall cast five sockets of bronze for them.

You will notice from the specifications the extreme detail given to the construction of this special tent. This will be known by Israel as God's dwelling place. It's very colorful. Inside, it is divided into two special rooms, the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. Exodus 26:33-34, "And you shall hang the veil from the clasps. Then you shall bring the ark of the Testimony in there, behind the veil. The veil shall be a divider for you between the holy place and the Most Holy. You shall put the mercy seat upon the ark of the Testimony in the Most Holy." The Ark of the Testimony/Covenant goes into the Most Holy Place.

Picture courtesy of BiblePlaces.com

Picture courtesy of BiblePlaces.com

Picture courtesy of BiblePlaces.com

The Brazen Altar (Exodus 27:1-8)

1 “You shall make an altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide—the altar shall be square—and its height shall be three cubits.
2 You shall make its horns on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it. And you shall overlay it with bronze.
3 Also you shall make its pans to receive its ashes, and its shovels and its basins and its forks and its firepans; you shall make all its utensils of bronze.
4 You shall make a grate for it, a network of bronze; and on the network you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners.
5 You shall put it under the rim of the altar beneath, that the network may be midway up the altar.
6 And you shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze.
7 The poles shall be put in the rings, and the poles shall be on the two sides of the altar to bear it.
8 You shall make it hollow with boards; as it was shown you on the mountain, so shall they make it.

Here's the Brazen Altar. Notice how large it is: Exodus 27:1, "You shall make an altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide—the altar shall be square—and its height shall be three cubits." That's big - 7.5 feet square and 4.5 feet high. Of course, it will be positioned outside in the courtyard. That's where the animal sacrifices will take place. You'll see in verse 4 that Moses had his own "network." Actually, that's the grate that goes on the top of the altar. Oh, and you'll also notice that this will be carried by poles through rings as well.

The Courtyard of the Tabernacle (Exodus 27:9-21)

9 ¶ “You shall also make the court of the tabernacle. For the south side there shall be hangings for the court made of fine woven linen, one hundred cubits long for one side.
10 And its twenty pillars and their twenty sockets shall be bronze. The hooks of the pillars and their bands shall be silver.
11 Likewise along the length of the north side there shall be hangings one hundred cubits long, with its twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of bronze, and the hooks of the pillars and their bands of silver.
12 ¶ “And along the width of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits, with their ten pillars and their ten sockets.
13 The width of the court on the east side shall be fifty cubits.
14 The hangings on one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three sockets.
15 And on the other side shall be hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three sockets.
16 ¶ “For the gate of the court there shall be a screen twenty cubits long, woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, made by a weaver. It shall have four pillars and four sockets.
17 All the pillars around the court shall have bands of silver; their hooks shall be of silver and their sockets of bronze.
18 The length of the court shall be one hundred cubits, the width fifty throughout, and the height five cubits, made of fine woven linen, and its sockets of bronze.
19 All the utensils of the tabernacle for all its service, all its pegs, and all the pegs of the court, shall be of bronze.
20 ¶ “And you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually.
21 In the tabernacle of meeting, outside the veil which is before the Testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening until morning before the LORD. It shall be a statute forever to their generations on behalf of the children of Israel.

Here's the courtyard around the tent. It's 150 feet by 75 feet; that's quite a large area. This is where the people will meet the priest for the sacrificing of their offerings on the Brazen Altar.